Page 21

Frontiers December 2014–January 2015 Issue

December 2014–January 2015 21
“In Canada, you have a complete
cross section of The Boeing
Company and what we do.”
—Shep Hill, president of Boeing International and senior vice president of Business
Development and Strategy
with increasing 737 production rates.
“I like the fact you can work at
one site but move around to a lot of
different jobs,” said Dexter Magri, a
manufacturing manager for 777 ducts
and doors.
The Winnipeg site’s opportunities
extend to those who are deaf. A
larger-than-average proportion of
the site’s employees are deaf or
otherwise hearing-impaired, Jensen
said. Accommodations include strobe
lighting to warn of passing forklifts,
as well as American Sign Language
interpreters and closed captioning on
training videos.
While Boeing Canada contributes to
leading-edge composite manufacturing
within the company, it also is supporting
the advancement of the nation’s
aerospace technology. More than a
decade ago, Boeing Canada helped
launch the Composites Innovation
Centre in Winnipeg, a not-for-profit
composite materials research
organization. Through the center, Boeing
also has supported the Canadian
Composites Manufacturing Research
and Development consortium, a group
of Canadian industrial and research
organizations working to further
advance composite manufacturing
processes. Additionally, Boeing is
the founding industrial member of
the University of British Columbia’s
Composites Research Network.
Boeing Canada’s partnerships
extend to corporate citizenship as well,
with Boeing Winnipeg and AeroInfo
in Richmond specifically contributing
to a number of organizations in their
communities. Boeing Winnipeg’s
partners include the United Way of
Winnipeg and Siloam Mission, which
offers employment training to help the
less fortunate and homeless move
off the streets. In the arts and culture
realm, Boeing Canada supports a
number of arts and performing arts
programs for children, as well as
science education programs.
Back on the floor in the Winnipeg
Fabrication building, the team working
on the first 737 MAX inner barrel pores
over details as it collaborates with other
composite experts in Washington and
South Carolina to build the first production
parts. The new nacelle component is
designed to be one seamless piece,
which will improve its noise-reduction
qualities and performance.
“This is a learning curve, but we’re
learning a lot from this first prototype,”
said Leila Dimacali, a plastics technician.
Brian Korchak, also a technician, said
production of the barrel will involve
robotics, another first for the site.
Zacharias, the industrial engineering
specialist working on the 737 MAX
team, said she knows there are a limited
number of places in the world where
this work is being done. She said she’s
pleased that Boeing has a strong, and
growing, presence in Canada.
“I wanted to stay local,” said
Zacharias, who came to Boeing right
after graduating from the University
of Manitoba. “It’s a great opportunity
to work for such a world-renowned
company while being able to stay
here in Winnipeg.” n
eric.c.fetters-walp@boeing.com
Photos: (Far left) A CF-18 Hornet escorts a
C-17 Globemaster III, designated the CC-177
in Canada. DND-MDN Ca nada (Above) Aneta
Zacharias, an industrial engineering specialist
in Winnipeg, is helping set up the site’s
production process for the 737 MAX acoustic
inner barrel. Bo b Fer guson | Boe ing